No Mercy
by dragonrain618
Summary: Mercy is for the weak, for those who hide behind the word as if it will save them. It never does. It is better to be without mercy. Mercy is a kindness no one deserves. Klaus/OC
1. Prologue: The Creation of a Monster

**No Mercy**

**_Sweet Sacrifice by Evanescence_**

**_You poor sweet innocent thing.  
Dry your eyes and testify.  
You know you live to break me.  
Don't deny.  
Sweet sacrifice._**

* * *

_Prologue: The Creation of a Monster_

**Mystic Falls, 1864**

All of the vampires within town were being carted away in wagons toward the church. The final outcome?

They were to be burned.

Quietly, Ashlynn Salvatore, the youngest of the Salvatore siblings, followed after her two older brothers without them noticing.

Nothing mattered to the two men at that moment besides saving the treacherous woman that both were so enamored by. So much so that they failed to hear the tell tale crunching of leaves and cracking of twigs that indicated they were being followed.

Ashlynn inwardly cursed as the sound of yet another cracking twig rang through the air. Glancing out from behind the trees she was hiding behind as she walked, she noticed that neither one of her brothers had heard anything.

She knew they had told her to stay home, but she couldn't. They were her brothers and there was a chance that their plan might not succeed. If that did happen, they would need her help.

Ashlynn hated Katherine more than anyone after having seen the way she pitted Stefan and Damon against each other, but if saving her kept her brothers happy and safe, then Ashlynn would help in any way that she was able to.

A small smile of relief appeared on the girl's face as she observed Stefan and Damon creating a successful distraction that then allowed them to get Katherine out of the wagon swiftly.

A sigh filled with relief exited her as she realized that everything was going to be alright. They didn't need her help and now everything was going to be okay.

Then two consecutive gunshots shattered everything, the sound piercing through the very air. As if in slow motion, Ashlynn watched as her brothers hit the ground, the sound their impacts made forever ingrained within her memories. Dark blue eyes stared, as if she couldn't believe what she had just seen.

Her eyes were locked upon the bodies of her two brothers and she took a single step back, tears welling within her eyes. The sound of a twig snapping resounded through the air, causing the shooter to lift his head sharply, eyes widening when his eyes met familiar dark blue ones.

Ashlynn stared at her father for a split second, just long enough for her mind to comprehend that her father was the one who had killed her brothers, before turning and running.

She could hear him shouting her name, but she didn't stop. She couldn't. She kept running until she burst into Emily's hut, out of breath with dried tears on her face.

Emily looked up in alarm, her eyes noticing not only the dried tears but the distress in the young woman's eyes. "What has happened?"

Ashlynn opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Emily stood up and placed a hand on Ashlynn's shoulder. "What happened?" She repeated worriedly, her eyes taking in Ashlynn's expression. "You're trembling."

It wasn't until Emily said that, that Ashlynn realized that she was.

"Dead." The brunette girl managed to get out. Tears began to trail down her cheeks once again.

The witch stared at her sharply. "Dead? Who?"

Ashlynn shook her head before looking at Emily with pleading eyes. "I-I can't stay here. I need your help."

"What do you need?" Emily questioned without hesitating. She owed Ashlynn.

Ashlynn looked at her helplessly, a hint of hysteria could be heard within her voice when she spoke. "What I _need_ are my brothers." Her voice cracked.

Emily was smart enough to realize that Damon and Stefan were the ones who were dead. Also, Emily was smart enough to know that both brothers had been fed Katherine's blood.

Whatever happened, Emily knew one thing for sure. Ashlynn had to leave Mystic Falls before Damon and Stefan awoke in transition.

She didn't deserve to be thrust into the frighteningly real dangers of the supernatural world, not someone as wide eyed and innocent as Ashlynn Salvatore.

It was for that reason among others that Emily instantly agreed when the blued eyed girl asked for help to sneak out of Mystic Falls.

Unknown to Emily, by agreeing to help Ashlynn escape Mystic Falls, she was sending the girl headlong into the world of the supernatural, the very thing the witch had been trying to avoid.

By sneaking Ashlynn out through the woods and showing her what trail to follow to reach the next town where a friend of Emily's could help keep the girl safe, she was sending the girl to her death.

* * *

**A/N: I'll try to have the first chapter out soon! As for what Ashlynn looks like, she pretty much looks like Zoey Deutch :) She has about mediumish brown hair with faint natural highlights from the sun and has dark blue eyes :)**

**The first chapter will start in present day!**


	2. Something Wicked This Way Comes

_**Night of the Hunter by 30 Seconds to Mars**_

_**Pray to your God, open your heart  
Whatever you do, don't be afraid of the dark  
Cover your eyes, the devil's inside  
**__**  
One night of the hunter  
One day I will get revenge  
One night to remember  
One day it'll all just end**_

* * *

Chapter One: Something Wicked This Way Comes

**Mystic Falls, Present Day**

Dark blue eyes rested upon the three tombstones lying side by side in the Mystic Falls Cemetery. The tombstones were at the very back of the cemetery, having been there for over a century. Moss had grown on the front and sides of two of the tombstones, but even then Ash still knew the names carved into them.

The names of her brothers.

What intrigued her, though, was why her tombstone and grave itself looked as if it was being cared for, when the tombstones of her brothers' graves looked as if they had been purposely neglected.

The dark-haired girl rested a small, delicate looking hand on the front of her twin's tombstone. "I miss you brother." She whispered, a rare moment of weakness overcoming her. Her dark blue eyes were intently focused on it, hopelessness clear within them. "You and Damon both."

After another moment passed, Ash stood up and forced her face to become calm. Placing her sunglasses back on, she cast one more look at the graves before walking away, disappearing in an instant as she used her enhanced speed.

Ash didn't know what had made her decide on impulse to come back to this town of nightmares. Who was she kidding? She wasn't anywhere near strong enough to deal with all of the haunting memories this town held for her.

No, but she had to be. Fear was a luxury, a weakness, that she could not afford to have.

One thing, unknown to her, was certain though. Now that Ashlynn Salvatore was in town, all of the carefully made plans created by not only the citizens of Mystic Falls, but by Klaus as well, were about to go in an entirely new direction.

In the hundred and forty something years since Ash had last laid eyes on Mystic Falls, very few things had changed.

Sure, everything was more modern and there were more buildings than there used to be, obviously…but the people were exactly the same. The minute someone new entered town, people stared. People stuck their noses in other people's business. Everybody knew everybody in small towns like this and Ash stuck out like a sore thumb.

At one point in time, she would've flushed in embarrassment…looked away…_something_. But that was long gone. Instead of embarrassment, she felt…nothing. Numbness. She felt nothing for these people that judged her, whom she did not even know.

They meant nothing to her.

Throughout her life, only five people ever meant anything to her. Three were dead, one had betrayed her, and only one had remained true.

The only reason Ash hadn't turned off her humanity again was because of that one, her best and only friend. Alexa had risked a lot to get Ash to turn her humanity back on and Ash wouldn't belittle her friend's sacrifice just because she was too weak to handle her birthplace.

Deciding that what she really needed was a drink, the brunette walked into the building that said above the door in dark neon lights _"Mystic Grill". _

Ash ignored the curious looks a few sent her way as she walked to the bar counter, pausing momentarily to glare at some of the men who stared at her a little _too_ long. Yeah, she was a hundred and sixty two and was by no means an innocent, but damn, on the outside she still looked like a seventeen year old. Clearly, Mystic Falls had some closet pedophiles.

Her lips quirked up in the slightest hint of a grin at that thought. Sitting down, she motioned the bartender over with her head, her most charming smile put on display as he approached.

Eying her warily with a smirk on his lips, he walked over. "What can I get you?"

"Bourbon on the rocks."

The bartender arched an eyebrow, his smirk growing. "I'll have to see some I.D."

Ash tilted her head and smiled up at him, an eyebrow slightly raised. "Can't we work out some sort of…_arrangement_?" She looked up at him innocently, but the sharp curve of her lips belied this.

The bartender looked mildly amused and he shook his head slightly before looking at Ash with bemused eyes. "Sorry hon, no can do."

Ash still kept the smile on her face, but her voice held a slight edge when she spoke again, her eyes intent upon the bartender's. "You will give me my drink on the house, a gift for a stranger passing through. Oh and while you're at it, cut open a vein and pour some of your blood into the drink. You will forget this conversation the moment you hand me the glass and all you will remember is that you cut yourself on broken glass. Understand?"

"Yes." The bartender said in a monotonous voice.

Ash smiled pleasantly. "Great." She watched the bartender fix her drink before he disappeared into the backroom to add the blood. While he did this, her eyes roamed the room in boredom, the smile completely vanishing from her face.

The town had become boring. A dark smirk crossed the brunette's face, a wicked gleam in her blue eyes. _Maybe I should shake it up a little?_

"Thanks." Ash remarked as the bartender handed her the glass. "What happened to your arm?" She asked with fake concern, eyes wide.

The bartender winced as he placed a cloth over the cut to staunch the flow of blood. "Cut myself on some glass back there. No biggie." He stated before walking away to deal with some other customers.

Ash's smirk was hidden slightly as she drank from her glass. _I suck at lying, huh Nik? Guess again._ Taking another sip of her blood laced drink, Ash allowed her eyes to roam the room once again in amusement. If she really wanted to, she could kill everyone in this measly building. The only problem was that she'd get an angry phone call from Alexa about what _'under the radar' _means.

Alexa worried too much. It was as if she feared that at any given moment, Ash would turn off her humanity again. And honestly, Ash had to admit, she was tempted…but she knew that in the long run, she would regret it.

A low growl escaped the brunette as her eyes landed on the last person she _ever_ wanted to see again. "Katherine." She whispered darkly as she noticed the woman sitting in a booth, talking with a blonde busboy. _What is she doing here?_

The dark blue eyes were transfixed upon the woman who had single handedly ruined Ash's human life. _I thought she was dead_, Ash thought slowly, her eyes on the woman intently. Anger burned within her at the thought of her brothers having died for nothing. Katherine, being a vampire, could have easily saved Damon and Stefan…but no, she had allowed them to die like the traitorous bitch that she was.

Ash drained the rest of the contents of her glass in an instant before standing up and walking out of the building, a dark smirk on her face.

Elena walked out of the Grill after telling Matt goodbye. She pulled out her cell phone and winced when she realized she had missed a call from Damon. She debated about calling him back, still annoyed that he had let Stefan out of the cellar. How was Stefan supposed to get better if Damon was just going to keep letting him out before he got his humanity switched back on?

The sound of a can rattling drew the woman's attention to the alley next to the Grill. Instantly on guard, her eyes looked around carefully. "Hello?" She questioned calmly as her hand drifted to her bag, pulling a stake out slowly as her brown eyes flitted around the area. "Anyone there?"

A sharp cry flew out of her mouth as she was slammed into the wall, her head hitting the brick with a loud thud. Wincing at the pain, Elena's eyes flicked upwards to meet the murderous dark blue ones of her attacker.

"Who…are you?" Elena managed to rasp out against the hand around her throat?"

The girl tilted her head, a cruel grin on her face. "Playing dumb doesn't suit you Katherine."

Elena blinked, her eyes widening. "I'm…_not_…Katherine!" She choked out, struggling against her attacker.

The vampire looked at her dubiously, an eyebrow arched in amusement. "Not Katherine? Your lies have greatly fallen from the ones you used to ensnare my brothers." Elena wondered who the vampire's brothers had been and what Katherine had done to them. "Poor little Katerina Petrova," Ash smirked. "No one is here to save you now."

The smirk on her face fell instantly as the smell of Elena's blood reached her. Veins appeared around her eyes and the brunette tilted her head, her now red eyes closely examining the woman's face. "Human." She spoke in a quiet hiss, her eyes narrowing as she hid her confusion.

The dark blue eyes softened slightly, but the steel in them never faltered, not even when she met the panicking brown eyes of the female in front of her. She could sense the vervain on her, now that she was paying attention, so she knew compelling her would be useless.

The sound of someone approaching caused Ash's eyes to flicker briefly in the direction the sound was coming from before once again looking at Elena. Smirking, she remarked, "See you around," before taking off, disappearing from sight.

Leaving Elena to unsteadily stand up, her hand rubbing her more than likely bruised throat, her mind working quickly as she realized that a new vampire was in town, one who knew Katherine.

One who could possibly be working with Klaus.

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**Please review and tell me what you think so far! Oh and the story starts right around the time Mikael is awakened and all that :)**


	3. What is Lost is Not Always Forgotten

**Thanks for all the favorites, alerts, and reviews! They mean alot :D**

* * *

_**Echo by Jason Walker**_

_**I don't wanna be down and  
I just wanna feel alive and  
get to see your face again but 'til then  
Just my echo, my shadow  
you're my only friend**_

* * *

Chapter Two: What is Lost is Not Always Forgotten

"She said '_see you around.'_ I don't think the threat could have been any clearer." Elena stated, annoyed at the indifference being displayed by the two in front of her.

"Relax." Damon stated, walking over so that he was standing right in front of Elena. "As long as you stay near us, you'll be fine." He actually looked amused.

At the same time, Stefan said with irritation clear in his tone, "We don't have time to deal with a new vampire. Operation: Kill Klaus is tomorrow. We have to destroy Klaus while Mikael is still on our side. We can deal with the new threat once our current one is gone."

"Besides," Damon added, a smirk appearing on his face. "We have the advantage. She thought you were Katherine."

"So?" Elena asked, slightly annoyed at not being taken seriously. She wasn't overreacting. If anything, she was _under reacting_. They didn't need another enemy at the moment, especially considering that they had their hands full with Klaus. She didn't, couldn't, put everyone in harm's way just because some vampire had a vendetta against Katherine. It wasn't right.

"So," the smirk grew," that means she's not on Team Klaus, otherwise she'd have known about the doppelganger."

* * *

"_There's a word for what you're being. It's called _self-destructive."

Ash rolled her eyes, silently wondering why she even bothered answering her phone. "And there's a word for what you're doing. It's called _overreacting_." She leaned against the window of her motel room, her eyes drifting outside as she replied.

"_Overreacting?_" Ash could hear her friend sigh in annoyance over the phone. When Alexa spoke again, she sounded exasperated._ "Ashlynn, why the hell are you even _in_ Mystic Falls?"_

The brunette smirked and when she answered, her voice was dry. "Oh you know, I figured it's nice this time of year so why not take a little vacation?"

"_To the town that you want to burn to the ground?" _It was obvious Alexa didn't believe her, a testament to how well she knew her old friend. _"Ash, what are you planning?"_

Ash's tone changed to one of mock hurt, the smirk on her face growing as she eyed the people passing by the motel. "Why do you always assume I'm up to something? Besides, it already sounds like you've gotten it all figured out anyway."

Alexa's response was almost instantaneous. _"Ash, don't make me drag you kicking and screaming out of that town."_ Alexa's calm, though slightly amused, response didn't conceal the warning in her tone. _"You know I hate unwanted attention."_

Ash chuckled. "Who are you trying to kid, Al? You love attention."

"_True, but not the unwanted kind…which we are sure to garner if I have to forcibly remove you from that backwater town_."

Ash arched an eyebrow. "I'm sorry that not all of us grew up living the high life of Paris." She could imagine Alexa rolling her eyes at that.

"_A pity, really_._" _The woman remarked, her tone saying it was anything but. _"Ash…because you are my friend…I will trust you. _Please_ don't make me regret not making you leave." _Alexa wouldn't be able to handle it if she lost Ash so soon after losing Justin. Not that Justin had been around that long, but Alexa got attached quickly…and unfortunately, it was usually to humans who ended up dying within weeks of meeting her.

"Don't worry, Alexa. This is me we're talking about."

Alexa's reply was dry. _"Not really making me feel better with that comment, Ash. Be careful, alright?" _

The younger of the two's eyes narrowed as if detecting something in Alexa's voice that she didn't particularly like. "There's another reason why you want me to leave besides the obvious, isn't there?" Alexa's silence gave the brunette all the answer she needed. Ash closed her eyes tightly as she took a deep breath. When Ash spoke, her voice was quiet as she asked, "He's nearby, isn't he?" Her face showed no emotion despite the turmoil within herself.

Silence, and then, "_Yes."_

Ash unconsciously touched the lapis lazuli necklace hanging around her neck, her blue eyes dark. "I see. Guess my little vacation is going to be cut short, huh?"

"_That's entirely up to you, Ash. It's been a little over ninety years since everything happened. Are you really ready to forgive him yet?"_

The brunette's grip tightened on her phone, her teeth gritted as she snarled, "Never. That bastard deserves nothing from me."

"_And there is your answer. Call me when you get ready to leave and I'll meet you in Richmond, alright? Then the two of us can head on up to New York and go clubbing and get drunk off our asses." _

Ash sighed, though a small smile did appear on her face at Alexa's attempts at trying to cheer her up. Alexa wasn't really the type to try and make people feel better, but when she did try, it was only for those who she truly cared about. "Sounds good. I'll head out in the morning."

"_Au revior."_

After hanging up with Alexa, the brunette glanced around her motel room and, after seeing that there was indeed nothing to do, decided to go out and do what she was sure would be her favorite thing in this town.

Torment the girl-Elena, was it?-who looked exactly like Katherine.

* * *

Elena coughed slightly from all of the dust residing within the attic of the Salvatore house. And she thought that _Jeremy_ knew nothing about cleaning. It was obvious the attic was the one place that hadn't been touched within the house in over a century. She coughed again.

"Where is this book supposed to be anyway?" She asked Stefan, turning her head slightly so that she could face him. The whole point in their journey to the upstairs was to find one of Emily's grimoires for Bonnie that had been stored within the attic shortly before the witch had been burned at the stake. Damon casually mentioned it to Bonnie when they were informing her about Mikael and now she wanted it out of the hands of vampires.

Stefan looked around the attic with hidden disgust in his eyes. "Damon's the only one who knows, but he refuses to tell. He seems to find it funny. What I find funny, though," he states, glancing at Elena out of the corner of his eye, "is that he trusts me alone with you up here."

Elena sighed and looked up at him. "Why wouldn't he? You're still Stefan, whether you can feel or not…and I still believe that you can feel emotions, you just choose not to because you don't want to feel the guilt."

Stefan didn't respond and instead when searching through the boxes for the lost grimoire.

Sighing, Elena began her own search as well. As she dug through one of the boxes, she froze as she came in contact with a miniature portrait that looked as if it had been painted in the mid-1800s. In the corner of the portrait, it even said _1862_ along with a name written in an elegant cursive writing. _Ashlynn. _What shocked her wasn't the fact that Damon and Stefan had a portrait of a girl other than Katherine.

No, what shocked her was that Damon and Stefan had a portrait of the vampire that had attacked her outside of the Grill.

Noticing Elena's gasp of surprise, Stefan walked over. "What did you find?" He questioned impatiently, his eyes missing the fact that Elena quickly hid something behind her back.

"Nothing." She replied uneasily. "My mind drifted to the whole Klaus thing and the thought that he wouldn't fall for the trap flitted through my head."

Stefan looked as if he didn't believe her, but in the end, he didn't care enough to question her on whatever it was she was hiding from him so he accepted her answer and walked off to continue the search for Emily's grimoire.

Once he had walked off, Elena moved the portrait in front of her again, her eyes examining every detail of the face of the girl in the portrait. It was the same girl, that she was sure of. However, something seemed…different about her, Elena realized.

It was the look of innocence displayed on the girl Ashlynn's face, and the genuine smile that seemed to light the girl's entire face up.

Elena decided to keep the portrait, even though she knew it was wrong to do so, so she could question the vampire if she ever ran into her again.

After spending nearly an hour searching for the grimoire, Damon decided to come up and say that he had found the grimoire in the study shortly after the two had went upstairs.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Elena asked annoyed, covered in dust.

Damon shrugged, a smirk curving his lips upward as he said, "I figured it gave you something to do besides attract trouble. Though it does look like you attracted some vicious dust bunnies." He chuckled.

Elena glared at him half-heartedly before finally sighing when she realized it had no effect on him. "Fine, whatever. I'm heading home to shower and then I'm meeting Caroline at the Grill."

Damon arched an eyebrow. "What about the grimoire?"

Elena arched an eyebrow in return. "_You_ found it, so _you_ can give it to Bonnie. I'm done helping today."

"Whatever." Damon rolled his eyes, not really caring. "I'll deal with Judgey while _you_ go off and have fun. Totally fair."

"I'm not the one who had two people search all throughout the attic for something that he had already found." Elena remarked over her shoulder before leaving.

* * *

Ash had tracked down where Elena lived, but was slightly disappointed when she realized that no one was home. It looked like her plans for the evening were now ruined.

Deciding to go to the Grill and see if Elena was there, Ash soon got caught up talking to the blonde busboy she had seen Elena talking to the night before. She was intrigued as to why Elena looked almost exactly like Katherine, so she wanted to do some research into this Elena's past.

Fooling the boy Matt was easy. All Ash had to do was act like her old self, the innocent, couldn't hurt a fly girl she had once been. She introduced herself as being new in town and the conversation went on from there.

And, if Ash was to be perfectly honest with herself, she enjoyed talking to Matt. Unlike many of the humans she had known throughout the one hundred and sixty two years she had lived, he actually seemed genuine. Sincere. It was…refreshing, for a change.

Soon enough, however, their conversation came to an end when she noticed Elena walk in. "Who's that?" Ash asked innocently, looking at Matt.

To Ash's surprise, Matt actually stiffened before looking at the vampire with different eyes, as if he was beginning to suspect something was off about her.

The seemingly innocent inquiry send alarm bells off in the football player's head that, out of everyone in the Grill, it was Elena who had drawn Ash's attention. "Who are you again?" He questioned, an eyebrow raised.

Ash held back her sarcastic reply that was on the tip of her tongue. Normally she wouldn't have, but…she genuinely enjoyed talking to Matt. So after a moment, she replied by saying, "Ash. Ash Salvatore." She turned to get up and leave, completely missing the look of shock that crossed the busboy's face at her pronouncement. Before he could even think of a reply, Ash was already on her way toward a table near the one where Elena was sitting-talking with an excited blonde.

"Who's the new girl?" Caroline asked Elena curiously, nodding at the brunette who was watching Elena from a short distance away.

Elena gave Caroline a confused look.

"She's staring at you." The blonde continued, causing Elena to turn her head towards the direction where Caroline was looking. She blinked as her brown eyes met the somewhat amused dark blue ones of the vampire who had attacked her the night before. Ashlynn.

Elena frowned, fighting an internal war with herself as she felt the portrait poking out of her bag slightly. After looking at the dark haired girl one more time, Elena had made her decision.

Standing up, she looked down at Caroline and said, "I'll be right back. I've got to ask her something."

The blonde blinked surprised. "You know her?"

Elena winced. "Sort of."

Ash arched an eyebrow as she saw Elena walk over to her. She had to give the girl credit, it took some major guts to calmly walk over to a vampire who had attacked you the previous night. "Hello _Elena_." She drew out the girl's name, a smirk on her face.

Elena didn't falter as she replied, "Hello _Ashlynn_."

The vampire froze, her mouth hanging open slightly, not sure that she had just heard right. Her dark blue eyes narrowed speculatively as they searched Elena's face for any indication that Elena had indeed called her what she had thought she had. When Elena simply continued to watch her, waiting for a response, Ash said slowly, deliberately, "Where did you hear that name from?" It was a struggle for Ash not to lash out at the girl and demand to know what exactly was going on.

"From this." Ash's eyes watched warily as Elena's hand slipped into the bag she was carrying before pulling out what appeared to be an old piece of parchment. She snatched it from Elena impatiently, wanting to know what the hell it was.

The moment her eyes landed on her faded portrait, she froze. It was literally as if everything had slowed to a stand still as her wide eyes stared at the image, her hand the held it shaking slightly. "Where did you get this?" Her voice was so low that Elena almost didn't hear the question.

Elena hesitated on answering, still unsure as to who this girl Ashlynn was and whether she would react kindly or not to hearing the names of the Salvatore brothers. That hesitation was all that it took for Ash's emotions to turn from shock to anger.

"_Where did you get this?_" She snarled at Elena as she stood in front of her, rage shining in her eyes. It had been a gift she had given to Damon shortly before he had left to join the Confederate Army, something to give him incentive to survive so that he could come back to her and Stefan. She had thought it lost forever.

"Back. Down." A voice came from Elena's side and the blonde from before was now standing by her friend's side.

Ash scoffed at that. "_You _back down, baby vamp. I can tell you haven't been a vampire very long from your reluctance to attack, but you see, that's what vampires do. We attack. We eat. We kill."

Caroline was about to respond, but Elena interrupted it as she stood in between the two. "Don't, Caroline. It was my fault, not hers. And I'm sorry." She said that last part to Ash, who actually blinked in surprise that someone she had threatened actually _apologized_ to her.

"You're not right in the head, are you?" Ash asked quietly, a hint of amusement in her tone as the barest beginnings of a smile appeared on her face.

"Probably not." Elena agreed, relieved that Ash no longer seemed hostile, though it did surprise her at how quickly the female vampire's moods would change. "Why are you in Mystic Falls?"

Ash paused, debating about whether to answer her or not. "I…lived here once, a long time ago."

"How long ago?" Caroline asked slowly, an eyebrow raised.

"1864, right?" Elena asked softly, almost instantly regretting it as she saw that Ash's guard that had slowly lowered snapped right back into place where it had been before.

Ash stared at Elena for a long moment as if trying to figure out how she knew all of this. "How do you-"

"Sorry I took so long." A voice remarked as the owner of it approached. "Judgey was being, well, judgey." The guy seemed amused by his own joke.

The guy walking over to them was decently tall with jet-black hair and the kind of dark blue eyes that a woman would do anything to stare into for hours.

However, that wasn't what caused Ash to stare at the guy with such shock and painful disbelief. _It can't be him, Ash_. _You saw his death in person. It can't be him. It can't be. It can't be. It can't be._

Ash felt her guard completely shatter as she stared at the man with a vulnerability that surprised even Caroline, who was the only one who had noticed Ash's peculiar reaction to the sight of Damon.

Ash's voice shook slightly saying the man's name so haltingly and hesitatingly as if just waiting for all of this to end up a dream. "Damon?"

Damon stiffened at the voice he never thought he would hear again. To him, the voice was the voice of an angel long dead. His head turned sharply towards the girl standing near Caroline, having completely missed seeing her when he had entered.

He stared at her in disbelief, as if not believing his eyes.

"Ashlynn?"

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**And...cliffhanger XD I swear, Ash is the hardest OC for me to write as because her emotions aren't exactly stable. She herself isn't exactly stable lol XD**

**Tell me what you think and review! The more reviews I get, the more incentive I gain to get the next chapter out quickly! :D**


	4. Things Are Never as Simple as They Seem

**A/N: This chapter is pretty long (over five thousand words!). I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I was having some slight problems trying to figure out the whole reunion between Ash and Stefan. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, but hopefully you all like it! And for those of you who have been dying for Klaus to appear, then you are in for a tiny treat towards the end of the chapter!**

**Also, thank you all for all of the reviews, favorites, and alerts! They mean a lot more to me than you think :D**

* * *

_**Lies by Evanescence**_

_**But through my tears breaks a blinding light  
Birthing a dawn to this endless night  
Arms outstretched, awaiting me  
An open embrace upon a bleeding tree**_

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Chapter Three: Things Are Never as Simple as They Seem

"Am I in the Twilight Zone or something? Because last time I checked, when someone dies, they don't come back." Ash remarked, a hint of hysteria in her voice as her dark blue eyes remained glued to her brother's face. A voice in the back of her head whispered _vampires do_.

Caroline's eyes looked back and forth between the two, unsure of what exactly was going on. "Am I missing something?" Elena looked as if she was trying to figure out everything as well because she looked just as lost as Caroline felt.

Damon's eyebrows furrowed as he appeared directly in front of Ash, tilting his head as his eyes roamed her face in confusion. "How is this possible? You're dead."

"So are you. I saw…" She choked on the words, silently cursing herself for her show of weakness as she continued, "I saw Father shoot both of you." Her dark blue eyes were piercing as they looked up at him as if she wasn't willing to let herself believe that Damon was actually alive and in front of her. When you go for so long believing someone is dead, it's more than a little hard to suddenly accept the opposite, even if proof was literally standing right in front of you.

It looked as if Damon was having a hard time believing that Ashlynn was alive as well. "You followed us? We told you to stay inside."

"Since when did I ever listen to you?" She inquired, silently congratulating herself for managing to keep her voice from shaking.

"Am I the only one totally confused here?" Caroline questioned, looking at Elena for some help as if the brunette would have some idea as to what was going on.

Elena simply shook her head, not knowing what to say as pieces of the puzzle slowly began to form together within her head. "Maybe…it would be better to have this conversation in private?" She suggested.

Damon didn't even glance at Elena, his eyes solely on his sister. "Yeah," he said slowly, "that probably would be better." Ash nodded stiffly, her face blank of any emotion whatsoever. Caroline and Elena exchanged a look before walking out the door, planning to meet them at the Salvatore house. Damon started after them before pausing and turning to Ash who hadn't moved at all. "You coming?" He asked quietly, his eyebrows slightly drawn together as if concerned.

That seemed to snap Ash out of the funk she was in and she nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that." She replied as she walked towards him.

Damon looked down at his sister and a hint of a smirk crossed his face as he held out his arm to her in a familiar gesture Ash hadn't seen in over a century. "Ready, milady?"

A small smile crossed Ash's face in remembrance before the smile then turned into a slight smirk as well. "Why of course, good sir." Her brothers weren't dead…well, Damon wasn't at least. She had no clue about Stefan, but the hope was ignited within her that, if Damon had survived and become a vampire, then Stefan had to have as well. He had to have.

As the two walked out of the Grill towards Damon's car, a thought began to plague the brunette, causing her expression to darken slightly as her eyebrows furrowed.

Alexa had said Klaus was nearby.

Elena looked exactly like Katherine and, as a result, like Tatia.

Which would mean…Elena was the doppelganger. And, from the looks of it, she was friends with Damon.

Without having meant to, Ash had put herself directly into Klaus's path once again.

And there was no way she could just leave now that she knew Damon, and possibly Stefan, was alive.

* * *

"Try not to think so hard, otherwise you might blow a blood vessel in that pretty little head of yours." Damon remarked, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the dark haired girl in the passenger seat, who was currently glaring at the dashboard. Once again, Damon found it hard to believe that Ashlynn was here, in flesh and blood. Of course, he knew it wasn't impossible considering he too had become a vampire, but he had never suspected that his kid sister had as well.

After having been forced into completing the transition as a result of Stefan, and before they had fled Virginia to go to New Orleans, they had heard the news that poor little Ashlynn Salvatore had vanished without a trace-well, until a leather pouch that had belonged to the brunette had been found drenched in blood a mile from the next town over. After that, the consensus had been clear: the only surviving member of the Salvatore family had perished, though how had still been uncertain.

Obviously, the consensus had been wrong. Either that, or Damon was going crazy and hallucinating, though the last was unlikely considering that both Vampire Barbie and Elena had seen Ashlynn and talked to her as well.

Ash blinked before looking at Damon with an arched brow, a smirk curling her lips upward. "Maybe you should try it sometime. It might give you a chance to shake the cobwebs out of your brain from disuse."

Damon snorted, rolling his eyes as he did so. "Sounds painful, no thanks."

"Wimp." Ash mumbled good naturedly, a small smile on her face as she said it.

A comfortable silence filled the small car as Damon continued driving toward the house.

The brunette looked down at the ground, her face blank of emotion as she said slowly, almost hesitantly, "Damon?"

The man glanced at her with a raised eyebrow in response. When she didn't continue right away, he said nothing and simply waited for whatever it was she had to say.

Ash refused to meet her brother's eyes as she said so quietly that he almost didn't hear her, "I…missed you."

Damon gave her a slight smile in return. "Missed you too kiddo…Mind telling me how you became a vampire?"

Ash winced visibly, very much wanting to steer clear of the explanation she knew she would have to give her brothers. "I'd rather not repeat it a second time, so I'll tell you when Stefan's around…" As much as she hated to, she knew she was going to have to lie when she did get around to the discussion of her continuing existence. She suddenly looked at him sharply, a previous thought reappearing within her mind. "He's alive as well, right?"

Damon hesitated. "Yeah…but just to warn you, he's…changed since the last time you saw him."

"It's been over a century. If he hadn't changed at least a little, I'd be surprised." Dark blue eyes studied the side of Damon's face that was visible to her intently, as if she was trying to glean from it whatever it was that he was implying. She had a feeling that it definitely wasn't something good.

Damon winced, as if he had thoroughly been hoping that he wouldn't have to explain what he had meant. "Well let's just say for now that little ol' Saint Stefan's humanity is currently in the off position." He glanced at Ash out of the corner of his eye to see how she was reacting to this piece of information.

Shock was clear on her face for a moment, before the female made an effort to hide it. She looked at Damon quizzically. "Stefan turned off his humanity? Really?"

Her brother nodded as he pulled into the driveway of the Salvatore house. As he turned off the car and pulled the key out of the ignition, he turned in his seat so he could fully face her. His blue eyes, so similar to her own, looked down at her as he examined her face for a moment before saying, "I'll explain it all later, but yeah. Boring, brooding Stefan has once again been replaced by fun, ripper Stefan."

"Once again?" She inquired calmly.

"Normally, he's the brooding, angsty Stefan we all know and love, but every once in a while he falls off the wagon," he didn't add in the part where this time, it hadn't been Stefan's choice. He'd wait until he had time to explain it all to Ash before mentioning that particular piece of information.

"And you always said Stefan and I were nothing alike," Ash mumbled under her breath, not actually talking to Damon or meaning for him to hear. He did, however, but didn't make a remark about it. Instead, he simply stared at her in his usual piercing way until he was snapped out of it by the sound of a car pulling in behind him.

"We left before you two and yet you beat us here." Caroline remarked annoyed as she got out of the driver's seat of the car and walked towards them with Elena right by her side.

Damon smirked at her. "You snooze you lose, Blondie."

"It seems as if your manners haven't improved any." Ash stated dryly, though her eyes were no longer on her brother and the two females. Instead, her eyes were fixated on the house that stood before her, the house that held her twin within. Stefan's humanity was off…that little fact alone made Ash dread her reunion with him. For all her tough talk over the years, she really didn't know if she could handle seeing her brother like that. The same brother who had patiently taught her how to swim, though Damon had helped as well, despite the fact that their father would have skinned both of them alive if he had found out, especially Damon.

"_Au contraire_, _sister dear_, many ladies can attest to the fact that I can be a _perfect_ gentleman." He flashed her a smug grin, though his eyes showed that he had noticed Ash's hesitation at entering the house.

Only slight surprise flashed across Elena's face. It made sense. Actually, it made _a lot_ of sense.

"Wait wait wait wait _wait_!" Caroline remarked as she walked in between the two siblings. "Did you say _sister_? Since when do you and Stefan have a sister? How?" She kept looking back and forth at everyone with an annoyed look of disbelief on her face, a look that grew at the response she next received.

Damon arched an eyebrow at the blonde. "For the how part, when a man and a woman love each other very much-"

"-or have had too much to drink," Ash added before sending the others an annoyed look, hiding her unease behind it. "Are we going to stand out here all night or what?"

"Oh, I don't know. It _is_ rather nice out." The oldest of the four said with a grin, before groaning at the looks he received. "Fine, fine. Let's get this over with."

_That should be my line_, Ash thought to herself as she took a deep breath and acknowledged Damon's look with a nod, saying that she was ready. "Let's go." She agreed.

"Caroline," Elena spoke up seriously, picking up on anxiety hidden by the brunette vampire's stone face. "Why don't we go back to the Grill." It was an order, not a question.

Caroline looked at Elena like she was crazy. "We just got-" She cut off as understanding crossed her face. A cheerful smile crossed her face. "Good idea!"

Ash stared at the two, no emotion clear on her face as she stared at the two girls who said goodbye and hurried off to the car with one of her eyebrows raised. "That was…weird." She turned to Damon and already saw him walking into the house. A low growl of frustration escaped her lips.

"You coming, slowpoke?" Damon called behind him at her, causing her to glare at the back of his head with such intensity that you'd think she was trying to cause his head to explode.

She followed him into the parlor with a quiet solemnity surrounding her as her eyes surveyed everything they landed on. So much had changed in the hundred and forty seven years that had passed since everything had happened. Her face lost all emotion as she struggled within herself not to lose it. She was stronger than this. If she could survive all the things she had to endure within the last ninety years, then she could survive this.

Hopefully.

Damon stopped walking suddenly and suddenly spun around to face the brunette, who stopped just as suddenly and looked at him with an annoyed eyebrow raised. What was he do? A mischievous grin lit up his entire face as he looked down at her, and it intrigued her. Whenever that look would cross Damon's face when they were children growing up, it always meant he was up to some sort of trouble.

When he spoke, his voice was a whisper, as if trying to make sure Stefan wouldn't overhear. "Seeing you won't undo Klaus's compulsion, but maybe," he smirked, "it might be enough to push Stefan just a bit. So stay here and don't come out until I signal you. Got it?" He flashed her a wink and a smirk before taking off while shouting, "Oh Stefan~!"

Meanwhile, shock mixed with burning rage flashed through the dark blue orbs of the female vampire. "Klaus?" _Klaus _was the reason her brother's humanity was off? She hadn't even known the three had met, let alone the fact that _he_ had _messed _with her family. Anger burned throughout her. She _knew_ that he knew Damon and Stefan were her brothers. He would have to be an idiot not to have figured that out, considering she had spent years mourning them-something he knew as well, and if there was one thing she was sure of concerning the hybrid was the fact that he was _far_ from being an idiot…most days, anyway.

A feeling of betrayal sliced through her and cut her deep, though she knew it shouldn't have. Klaus was a worthless bastard who cared about no one except himself, despite his loathsome ability to make you believe otherwise. Only a moron would believe his lies…and that was exactly what Ash had once been.

A moron.

* * *

Stefan cast Damon an irritated glance as he looked away from the fire in the fireplace to face his brother, who had been shouting despite the fact that Stefan had been not even twenty feet away-his mind caught up in the discussion they had had with Mikael earlier that day.

"Hello brother." Damon smirked as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. Stefan merely rose an eyebrow, waiting for Damon's explanation as to what he was so damn excited about. Annoyed at the lack of response he was getting from Stefan, Damon pushed himself off of the wall and walked closer to him. "It feels like just yesterday when another sibling of ours would look at me exactly like you are doing now."

Stefan's eyes flashed dangerously as he looked at Damon sharply, wondering where Damon was headed with this conversation. There had always been an unspoken rule between the two that Ashlynn was never to be mentioned, a rule that Damon himself enforced full heartedly. "And then she died. End of story."

Damon tsked at him, shaking his head in mock disapproval. "Harsh, Stefan. The old you would never even think of being so cruel when faced with the mention of his dear twin."

"Yeah, well the _old me_ would let his humanity get in the way of doing what needs to be done all the while worrying what his actions would cause for others."

Damon arched an eyebrow. "So are you trying to tell me that you feel no…_sorrow_ anymore over the death of our _darling _sister?" The sarcasm and disbelief could be heard easily within his tone.

Stefan gritted his teeth to keep from saying something that he knew would show that his humanity wasn't fully gone-most of it was, but there was still the tiniest sliver of it left. His eyes narrowed into slits as he looked at Damon. "The past belongs nowhere except in the past. Ashlynn died over a century ago. Why wallow so pathetically over something that will never change?"

Damon smirked and said slowly, "What if the past isn't set in stone?"

Stefan was growing tired of how cryptic Damon was being and quite frankly, it was pissing him off, so he slammed Damon into the wall and looked at him with cold eyes. "What are you hiding?"

Despite being slammed into the wall, the vampire kept smirking. "Wouldn't _you_ like to know."

"Answer me," Stefan demanded angrily, his hand tightening threateningly around Damon's neck.

In answer, Damon kicked Stefan hard in the stomach, sending his brother skidding backwards into the couch. Acting as though nothing had just happened, he said loudly, "Lynny, that was your cue!"

No response except for Stefan staring at him with scrutinizing eyes, looking as if he believed there to be something wrong with his brother. "What are you doing?"

"Lynny!" Damon called out, annoyed now. "Anytime now would be perfect, really." He remarked sarcastically, before suddenly cursing under his breath as he was hit in the head with a book thrown from the archway between the parlor and the living room.

"Hated that name then, still hate it now." The brunette stood in the archway, her arms crossed in front of her as she glared daggers at Damon. She would've appeared sooner, but she had been in the middle of mulling over what she was going to do to Klaus once she saw him again. Before, she had been hoping to avoid coming into contact with him at all, but as soon as she had heard that he had messed with her family, it was as if something had ignited within her, screaming _'game on'_.

"You didn't have to throw a freaking hardcover _book_ at me, though!" The oldest of the three grumbled, sending his sister a small peeved glare.

"You deserved it." She stated.

After a second of rubbing his sore cheek, he glanced at Stefan to see how he was reacting to this particular surprise.

Unsurprisingly, no emotion whatsoever was shown on the ripper's face as he stared at the girl who had always resembled him quite a bit, except for her eyes which had always been the same shade of blue as Damon's. Now however, with the current outfit she was wearing-a black leather jacket, a ruby red top, and dark blue jeans-she appeared to resemble Damon more.

"Hey Stefan." Ash's face was devoid of all emotion, just like her twin. The two simply stared at each other, as if trying to figure the other out. The silence dragged on and on, and for once, Damon didn't interrupt it. He understood that this wasn't the time for one of his comments, so he simply filed what he would have said away for another day.

"You're a vampire." Stefan said at last. That was all he said, causing Damon to groan.

"State the obvious, why don't you." He remarked.

"Shut up, Damon." Stefan and Ash both said at the same time, though Ash's tone differed from Stefan's because hers, despite sounding tired, held an underlying feel of affection to it.

"No, I don't think I will." Damon said after a moment as he walked forward. He looked at Ash, a touch of seriousness could be seen within his eyes. "Now that we're all together and done with our little Hallmark family reunion, I'm curious as to _how_ you're a vampire. I mean, was it that bitch Katherine?" To Damon, Katherine seemed like the most likely suspect. What better way was there to torment them even more than by making them believe their younger sister had died a violent death in the forest?

"No, she had nothing to do with it." Ash's face noticeably hardened and it took all she had not to get angry at the thought of the one who _did_ turn her. "To be honest," she lied as her blue eyes drifted to the fire burning within the fireplace, "I don't remember much. I remember leaving Mystic Falls-"

"Yeah, that. What the _hell_ was going through your head when you decided to go off on your own like that?" Damon demanded.

Ash looked at him, her eyes narrowed and her jaw was set in a way that, to those who knew her, showed just how angry she was. "What I was _thinking_ was that I had just seen that piss poor excuse of a man, our _father_, shoot and kill both of my brothers in cold blood _right before my eyes._ After that, _there was no way in hell I was going back home._" Fire burned within her dark blue eyes and it was in that moment that both brothers noticed the change in their sister. She was obviously no longer the wide eyed innocent she had once been. She was darker. Deadly. Vengeful.

Damon inwardly cursed, pissed at both their father and himself. His father, because it was thanks to him that Ashlynn had left Mystic Falls and started the sequence of events that led to Ashlynn being turned into a vampire. Himself, for not even bothering to dig deeper into her disappearance. Once her belongings had been found covered in her own blood, he had assumed just like everyone else that she had been killed and her body disposed of somewhere else.

If he had looked just a little harder, he might have found her and spared her whatever the hell she had obviously went through.

"I went to Emily and she told me she had a friend in the town north of us who would be able to help me out once I arrived. On the way there, though…" She stopped talking and her eyes glazed over as the memory surfaced.

**1864**

Ashlynn shivered as she continued her descent down the long, dusty trail that would lead her to a new town, a new life. Her tears had long ago dried in trails down her cheeks and now she just felt…numb. The reality that she was now utterly alone in the world struck the seventeen year old hard.

All throughout her life, Stefan and Damon had always been there. Even when Damon was off fighting in the war, he had still been there through frequent letters. And Stefan…Stefan was always right there beside her, no matter what was going on in his own life.

Even when his fiancée Roslyn had been murdered by some wild beast, though she now knew it had indeed been Katherine responsible for the poor girl's death, he had been there for her, reassuring her that no matter what, she would be safe because he was there for her.

Stefan's death cut her to the very bone, as did Damon's, though for some reason, Stefan's affected her worse. It felt as if a part of her had died with her twin.

Honestly, she felt as if she should just give up now and not even bother going to this new town. What did she have to live for, now that she had nothing?

Tears once again burned within her eyes as they created a warm trail down her cheeks as she continued to walk, huddled beneath the cloak Emily had gifted her for the journey. She had claimed the cloak would keep her safe from the cold.

It didn't do much good considering it was the cold from the outside that bothered Ashlynn, but instead the cold that she was suffering from within.

She knew though that she had to move on. She couldn't give up, even though she desperately wanted to.

If she even dared to, she knew her brothers would be disappointed in her as they looked down at her from heaven.

So instead, she took a deep breath and steeled herself as she silently promised that she would be strong.

"What is a young girl like yourself doing walking alone at night?" A voice asked from behind her and she froze.

**Present Day**

"I'm not sure who they were, but it was pretty clear what they were. Bandits." Ash's voice was cold as she recounted the memory. "Though they didn't attack me for my money, since it was obvious I had none considering I was wearing a tattered old cloak. No, they wanted something else."

Damon's jaw clenched in anger as did his hands that lay at his sides. Oh, he could just _guess _what it was those bastards had been after…and it pissed him off.

Stefan glared at the burning fire and didn't say a word.

Ash closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "After they were…done," she gritted her teeth at the memory, "they left me for dead, on the ground bleeding and crying for mercy." She had been so frightened and sure that she would be dead soon, but then… "After that, I don't remember what happened." She lied. "A vampire must've been passing through, saw me lying there pathetically, and decided to be merciful by saving me. However, when I awakened, no one was there and I was a vampire."

* * *

After telling her story, and after listening to Damon rant and rave over the bandits, punching the wall in anger quite a few times as he tried to reign in his rage, and face Stefan's silent stoniness, she told the two she was going back to her motel and would be back in the morning. Damon had been adamant about her moving back into the Boarding House, so when she came back in the morning, she would be bringing over all of her things.

That night, not surprisingly, she couldn't sleep, so she simply stared at the stars from the roof of the small motel, her thoughts once again overwhelming her.

She had been so certain after the bandits had raped her and injured her gravely that she would die. She could literally feel herself dying, as weird as that sounded. Even as she was dying, though, the bandits hadn't left. They had continued to torment her.

And then _he_ had appeared and the bandits became no more.

That had been the first time she had seen her blood soaked angel, the man who had saved her…and the man who had destroyed her so totally and completely.

**1864**

Ashlynn lay in a pool of her own blood and could feel her eyelids fluttering. It wouldn't be much longer before she joined Damon and Stefan in heaven. She could feel herself dying. She had long ago tuned out the voices of her attackers and now she just wanted to close her eyes and allow herself to fall into the dark abyss of eternal sleep.

"What a waste," a voice spoke, sounding somewhat bored-though the hint of menace to his tone was audible to all. Something in the stranger's tone forced Ashlynn to fight to keep her eyes open. The voice was both melodious and threatening.

"Who the hell are ya?" One of the bandits demanded angrily.

Ashlynn didn't have the strength to turn her head in the direction of the stranger to see who it was, but she could hear the dark amusement in his tone when he spoke again.

"I would be careful of the tone you use with me, mate. Especially considering the fact that I'm already in a bad mood." The stranger answered as he slowly walked forward, a feral aura surrounding him in the way he stalked forward with ease, eying the bandits with open disgust. After finally tracking down his prey, he had arrived just in time to learn she had already been killed in a fire, along with the other vampires who had plagued the town of Mystic Falls. It had been too good of a death for the bitch.

When he had overheard what was going on here, he had been tempted to just keep on passing by. It was a waste of time and he hadn't really felt like interfering, quite content on simply continuing on.

However, he had stopped once he realized that, despite all that had occurred to the girl, she was silent and wasn't even bothering her attackers with a response or reaction anymore, enraging the bandits and piquing the stranger's interest.

A feral smirk curled up on his lips as he looked at the bandits. "However, since I am feeling particularly and unusually generous today, I will tell you my name before you die. You may call me Klaus."

* * *

**A/N: In a later chapter, you'll see what happened after Klaus killed the bandits ;) Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review!**


	5. Time Does Not Heal All Wounds

**Once again, sorry about taking so long to update! I had actually planned to ahve this chapter up about a month ago, just a lot of stuff happened and as a result, I just couldnt get into writing. I've had most of this chapter done for a while, but I was having trouble with the ending part. Funnily enough, I got inspiration for the ending part when I was watching an amv of the anime Soul Eater (An awesome anime by the way xD) more specifically, one of the psychotic and sexy Stein xD (my second favorite character, the first being Death the Kid). Anyway, the amv was to teh song "Unstable" by Chaotica and it was that song that gave me the inspiration for the ending!**

**Once again, I'm sorry about the late update and I hope you enjoy the new chapter! Oh! And thank you to everyone who reviewed/alerted/favorited this story! I love you all!**

**Ash: That's not creepy or anything...**

**Me: Shut up!**

* * *

_**I'm Not Okay (I Promise) by My Chemical Romance**_

_**Well, if you wanted honesty, that's all you had to say  
I never want to let you down or have you go, it's better off this way  
For all the dirty looks, the photographs your boyfriend took  
Remember when you broke your foot from jumping out the second floor?**_

* * *

Chapter Four: Time Does Not Heal All Wounds

"You are in deep shit, my friend." Alexa remarked into her cell phone as she snapped her fingers at some guy who she had compelled to carry her bags. "Hurry up before I make you my snack." She ordered, smirking because she knows the guy can't respond since she had compelled him to stay silent.

"_You don't think I already know that?" _The brunette muttered under her breath, clearly not in a satisfactory mood. _"Mikael will be here in an hour to go over some plan him and my brothers concocted to kill Klaus and I'm expected to help."_

Alexa sighed as she walked past security, her compelled slave following after her dutifully. "You've talked about killing him for years, Ash. This is your chance to make good on all of the tough talk you've been spewing for the past few decades." She knew Ash. Ash hated Klaus with every fiber of her being, and Alexa didn't blame her. However…the Parisian female knew that if Ash _did_ go through with it, it might do more harm than good to the young vampire.

"_And I will. It's just…whenever I imagined finally killing him, it was _my_ way, not anyone else's. If Nik-if _Klaus _is going to die, I want it to be by _my_ hand. Not that bastard Mikael's." _

Alexa didn't comment as she took the bags from the compelled human and ordered him to leave and forget everything from the last forty five minutes. Her dark green eyes looked thoughtful, as if she was seriously thinking something over and, as she sat her bags on the black conveyor belt, she finally responded, saying, "You know, even from just over the phone, you can't fool someone who knows you better than you know your own self, _phénix_."

"_Don't call me that." _Ash mumbled annoyed. _"And I have no clue what you mean by that."_

Amusement danced within the cat like eyes of the French vampire. "Of course you don't."

"_I can hear the sarcasm in your voice even from here, Al. I know what I'm doing."_ Ash stressed that last part, though whether it was to reassure Alexa or herself neither knew.

"_**Flight 182 for Richmond, Virginia is now boarding!" **_The speakers announced loudly, causing Alexa to roll her eyes.

"_Flight? Alexa-"_

Alexa cut her off, saying gently, "I know you know what you're doing, Ashlynn. However, even the best laid plans go awry when confronted with the demons of your past. If you honestly think I am not going to be there by your side when this occurs, then you truly do not know me, my friend. Now if you'll excuse me,"she smirked, "I have a plane to catch." And, before any more noises of protest could resound from Ash's end, Alexa ended the call while smiling charmingly at the security guard who let her pass without a word.

Ashlynn was the only person she gave a damn about, so if the brunette had honestly thought that Alexa wouldn't drop everything to come to Mystic Falls to assist her at a time when she needed support the most, then the young vampire truly was a moron in every meaning of the word.

* * *

Ash stared at her phone in disbelief. Alexa was coming to Mystic Falls. As much as she wanted to be annoyed or angry at Alexa for the impromptu decision, she couldn't find it within herself to be. The thought of seeing her closest friend sent relief flooding through the brunette. Alexa may seem to be self-absorbed and blunt to the point of brutality, but underneathe it all, she would never think of ostracizing or ridiculing Ash for decisions made both in the past and the present…and Ash desperately needed her right now for those reasons alone.

Damon had filled her in on all that Klaus had done and, while she wasn't that surprised, she knew that once the truth of her past with Klaus came out -and it _would_ come out since it was nearly impossible for it not to and she wasn't going to delude herself into believing it wouldn't- there was the very real possibility her brothers might shun her for the choices she had made in regards to the hybrid.

She laid the front of her head against the wall of her bedroom and let out a long sigh. Today was going to be horrible. What with having to be civil with Mikael and plot the death of the man she had once loved, there was nothing that could make this day any worse than it already was going to be.

"And here I thought I would never have to see your pathetic self again."

At the sound of the annoyed feminine voice, Ash suppressed a groan.

_I stand corrected._

As she turned around to face the blonde Original, Ash composed herself and all that was present on her face was a mocking smile. "Rebekah! I missed you so much." _Not. _There would have to be something seriously wrong with her to _ever_ miss the Original who had hated her the very moment they had met. Ash had always assumed it was a result of Rebekah hating competition for Nik's attention. Whatever the reason may be for Rebekah's hatred, it was idiotic and childish. However, if Rebekah was dead set on hating her, Ash refused to take the insults lying down, preferring instead to dish it back.

Rebekah didn't look amused. In fact, her eyes narrowed at the obvious sarcasm of Ash's words. "Don't test me because we both know that in a fight to the death, I would emerge the victor. And my brother isn't here to protect you anymore, so I'd watch your back."

Ash arched an eyebrow amused. "I'm glad I don't have his _protection_ anymore because I never needed it, especially against a _disloyal _superficial blonde bimbo."

Rebekah was in front of her in a flash. "Disloyal?" She hissed angrily, fangs flashing. "You are plotting Nik's death as well so you have no room to talk!"

Ash forced herself to appear unaffected by Rebekah's words as she stood her ground. "To be disloyal would mean I'd have to actually have been loyal in the first place. Whatever loyalty I once held for Klaus died ninety years ago when _he_ broke _my_ trust and cast me aside." Ash's composure broke towards the end though, and her voice lowered in anger as she growled out the last part. Before Rebekah could respond, she continued. "At least _I'm_ not claiming to be loyal while double crossing the person I pledged my loyalty to. That's the difference between you and me, '_Bekah_'," She said the nickname mockingly. "I'm upfront about my hatred."

"You truly know nothing, don't you?" Rebekah shook her head in disgust.

Ash ignored her, though a part of her wondered what Rebekah had meant by that, and continued. "Why do you want Klaus dead anyway? The last time I saw you two, you would have done anything for him. Why the change?"

The blonde stiffened and she glared at the youngest of the Salvatores. "I don't see how that is any of your business."

The brunette shrugged. "It isn't."

"Then why ask?"

Ash smirked. "Curiosity."

Rebekah's eyes narrowed dangerously as she took a step forward towards the girl, her eyes stormy and dangerous. "Well, you know what they say. Curiosity killed the cat."

Hard sapphire eyes watched the Original carefully, anger glinting in her eyes at the obvious threat. "Yeah, well, satisfaction brought it back."

Rebekah gritted her teeth, wanting nothing more than to tear the girl in front of her into shreds. It was obvious that she could kill the baby vampire easily, yet Ashlynn refused to back down an inch or show any shred of the fear she may have been feeling at that moment. Something her brother had always praised about the brunette. "You truly want to know? Then I will tell you."

Dark blue eyes blinked in surprise before the owner of the eyes quickly hid the surprise and replaced it with suspicion. "Why?"

Tears glittered in the blonde Original's eyes. "Because you aren't the only one who has reason to hate my brother. I have spent years loving and hating him equally only to find out that he is the reason I am without a mother."

Ash stared in astonishment and belatedly realized that the woman in front of her was trying her best to hold in her tears, her pain. Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "He killed your mother? I thought it was Mikael who did that."

"So did I." She stated, anger and pain clear on her face. "But clearly I misjudged him just as you yourself had done." Rebekah turned her head away to hide the tears that she hid within her eyes, not wanting to give Ash the satisfaction of seeing her in tears.

Ash, however, _did_ see…and she felt no satisfaction whatsoever in the blonde's tears. In fact, she felt something she never thought she would ever feel for the female Original. Sympathy. She understood what it was like to be betrayed by Klaus, to have everything you knew be turned upside down because he simply felt like it.

Yeah, the brunette understood what Rebekah was going through better than anyone else possibly could and she once again cursed Klaus for his disregard for everyone besides _numero uno_. Himself.

Ash simply looked the other way while the Original recomposed herself, knowing that if she were to say anything or show any signs of sympathy, Rebekah would take it the wrong way and see it as pity. It would be an insult to both Rebekah and Ash.

And it was during that period of silence that Damon walked in. His eyes flickered between the two suspiciously, as if he could feel the tension that had once filled the air, but chose to ignore it as he smirked and said three words: "It's show time."

* * *

In all of the years that Ash had traveled alongside Klaus as the second of his two constant companions—Rebekah being the other—she had never, during all of that time, ever met or even seen from a distance the homicidal patriarch of the Mikaelson family.

However, the instant the brown haired, no-nonsense man entered the living room and her dark blue eyes landed on him, she knew without a doubt who it was. The moment her eyes landed on him, she couldn't help but freeze in place for a moment, because in that moment, as she saw the cold look in Mikael's eyes, she knew that there was good reason behind all of the running they had done in order to avoid him.

He was death itself.

The introductions were brief, so brief that they could barely even warrant being referred to as introductions, but when Mikael gave no hint of recognition when Damon said her name, relief flooded throughout Ash. A relief that vanished when she noticed his mouth was curved upwards slightly, the barest hint of a smug smirk clear to her sapphire gaze. A smirk that chilled the female vampire to the very bone.

And when his own eyes met hers for but a brief second, she saw in those dark orbs of his that he _did_ know who she was and amusement flickered briefly within his eyes as if the mere thought that he wouldn't know who she was was a ridiculous notion.

In that moment, for the first time in years, Ash felt fear tear at her from the inside, a fear that continually reemerged each time his gaze landed upon her.

However, she was not willing to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had successfully rattled her, so she hid everything behind a blank mask, successfully hiding that on the inside, she was in complete and utter turmoil.

Currently, she was standing off to the side next to Stefan, ignoring the burning sensation within her that was telling her that this plan was a bad idea and would only end in destruction on both sides.

At the moment, they were trying to figure out the best way possible convince Klaus that Mikael had been dealt with, a bait that would without a doubt successfully lure the hybrid to Mystic Falls and right back into Ash's life.

"Okay," Stefan remarked, taking charge. "Let's say that Mikael followed Elena in here. He tried to grab her, so he could use her as bait-"

"And you what?" Elena questioned dubiously. "Vervained him?" Ash had to agree with Elena's dubiousness. Klaus may be a lot of things, but stupid had never been one of them. He would see through that in an instant.

Apparently, Damon shared their sentiment, since he corrected Stefan quickly. "No, _we_ vervained him. This guy is an Original, it has to be realistic."

"Damon's right," Ash said, speaking for the first time since the meeting had began. "If it's not realistic, Klaus won't fall for it and if Klaus doesn't fall for it, or worse he realizes what we're attempting to do, we're screwed." The hybrid was merciless towards his enemies…something the brunette had always admired, but not anymore. Especially since his current enemies were her own brothers.

She inwardly winced when she realized that what she said could, without her meaning to, reveal that she did in fact know the man. However, neither her brothers nor Elena picked up the connection. When Ash noticed this, she let a small breath of relief to escape her.

A pair of eyes _had_ noticed, though, and a smirk curved Mikael's lips upward once again. As he discreetly stared at the youngest Salvatore sibling, he still couldn't figure out just what it was about the girl that had drawn the attention and devotion of Niklaus. She didn't appear to be anything special at all. In fact, in his eyes, she appeared to be rather ordinary.

Sapphire eyes flickered to where he stood and met his eyes, and what he saw in them caused him to slightly raise an eyebrow.

Fire burned within those dark blue orbs along with a steeliness that would impress even the worst of criminals.

_So that was it_, the man mused quietly. _Her fire must have been what drew him to her. Such a shame that she had to get involved with that worthless cur. In the end, it will be because of that that she will die_.

"Okay, fine." Stefan acknowledged reluctantly. "We vervained him, and in the process discovered that he had a dagger."

Elena nodded and added onto what Stefan had said. "Which he planned to use on Rebekah, but instead…"

"We drove it through his heart." Stefan smirked, saying it simultaneously with his twin-who wished that they really could drive the dagger through Mikael's heart and leave him to rot somewhere far away from those she cared about. She knew enough about him to know that trusting Mikael would be a stupid move and that, once Klaus was out of the way, the man could very well come after them simply to tie up lose ends.

It would be a cold day in hell before she'd allow '_Papa Original'_ to harm her brothers, especially considering she had only just got them back.

"Freaky twin powers." Damon muttered under his breath, drawing Elena's attention. At her questioning look, he replied, "Talking in unison." He fake shuddered. "It was creepy when we were kids, and it still is now."

Elena rolled her eyes before returning her attention to Stefan, asking, "And what happens when he asks to see Mikael's body?"

_Well, we could always dagger him for real_, Ash thought with bitter hope as her eyes flickered once again back to the male Original. A smidgeon of relief passed through her when she noticed that he was no longer staring at her as if she was some sort of specimen he was going to be dissecting on the operating table later on.

"Good point!" Damon remarked, turning to face Stefan with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. "You my brother have been compelled to do what Klaus says. The idea is to lure him back here and kill him, so the last thing we need is you getting tripped up and tongue-tied."

Stefan didn't bother to hide his irritation at the comment. "Well don't look at me. I'm just in charge of getting him back here."

"He'll want proof that Mikael is truly as dead as we claim him to be." The female twin stated, alert just in case she would have to break up a fight between her brothers. Damon was in an antagonizing mood and, since Stefan's humanity was off, she didn't trust her twin not to attack the oldest of the three.

That didn't mean she wasn't going to continue to stand right by her brother's side, she just knew what it was like to not give a crap about anything except whatever goal you had in mind-an experience she hoped never to fall back into. The years between 1919 and 1966 had been the darkest part of her existence. She had killed whoever was unlucky enough to cross her path simply because she had nothing better to do.

She killed simply for the fun of it.

As a result, she found it ironic in a sense that her twin had gone through similar stages throughout his vampiric existence. They truly were two halves of a whole.

"Ashlynn-" at Ash's look, Elena corrected herself, "_Ash_ is right. Klaus is smart. If we tell him that Mikael is dead, he'll want proof."

Mikael's eyes flickered around the room as he looked at each individual before saying, "Then I shall be dead."

Ash's eyes widened at that statement in shock before they narrowed, her distrust obvious within her sapphire orbs.

Elena obviously didn't trust Mikael's intentions very much either considering her response was, "What if he wants to see you in person?" Her warm brown eyes were deadly serious as she looked at the patriarch of the Originals. Ash obviously distrusted the man, though Elena didn't know how the two knew each other. However, after having spent the little bit of time that she had so far with the female vampire, she knew that Ash wasn't usually overly suspicious of people. So if she distrusted Mikael, then there had to be a logical reason for it and that would mean that they shouldn't trust him that much as well.

Mikael arched an eyebrow and smirked. "Well that means our plan is working. Klaus will absolutely want to see my body. You lure him here," his cold eyes looked in the direction of his daughter and his son's ex-lover as he spoke the next words, "and I will kill him."

Anger welled within Ash, having noticed that he had directed that last part toward her. He was deliberately toying with her and was on the peak of letting slip that she had a past with the infuriating hybrid. "With what?" She snapped, glowering at him. "Last time I checked, according to both Rebekah _and _you, he's managed to elude you for nearly a thousand years! What makes you think you'll be able to kill him, even _with_ the advantage of surprise?" Damon smirked in silent agreement with his sibling. It amused him that when they were children, she was a lot like her twin's, but now that she was a vampire, her nature was as volatile as his own. Though he did have to admit that he missed the air of innocence she used to exude.

Mikael's expression was a mixture of amusement and smugness as he looked at the girl who was glaring at him. "I came quite close once a little over ninety years ago."

"Ninety years ago?" Ash muttered under her breath in confusion, wondering if the Original had snuck up on Klaus shortly after she had left.

"Ash has a good point though." Stefan remarked, looking at Mikael with unreadable eyes. "Those daggers won't work on him."

"Well, I'm in possession of a stake fashioned from the wood of the ancient white oak tree." Mikael stated, his eyes flittering around the room as he looked at everyone as he spoke, to make sure they understood the significance of this. "The one that left these ashes when it burned."

"Where is it then?" Stefan questioned, an eyebrow raised, his eyes still unreadable.

Ash smirked as she caught onto what her brother was really asking. Was the stake currently on him? And if so, would they be able to get it away from him just in case he were to betray him?

Obviously though, Mikael had already thought of this and had set up precautions as a result. "Not here." A slight smirk grew on his face. "The knowing of its location is my insurance policy."

Ash tilted her head to the side in a gesture that exuded innocence, though the mockery in her tone easily contradicted it. "But if we're supposed to trust you and you us, why the need for an insurance policy? We're all friends here, right?"

"None of you hold any trust in me, so why should I return the favor? Besides," he looked at Ash coldly, his tone dry as he finished, "I happen to know for a fact that some of you are less trustworthy than the others may know."

Ash stiffened, a reaction Stefan easily caught onto and what caused his eyes to narrow as they flickered back and forth between his younger sister and the male Original. He doubted that the others had noticed, but it was quite obvious to him at least, who the statement was directed towards.

Ash had changed a lot since the last time he had seen her, right before he and Damon had snuck out after the carriage that had contained Katherine. Her eyes that used to be warm and kind were now tinted with a darkness that had never been there before as well as a hatred and fury so deep, it was chilling. Be that as it may though, he couldn't find it within himself to hate her or even distrust her.

She was, after all, his baby sister. His twin. And he could feel that she didn't mean anyone in the room harm, excluding Mikael of course.

Which is why he looked at Mikael and questioned, "Insurance against what?"

The man raised an eyebrow as if it should be obvious as he fingered the dagger in his hand. "You leaving this in my heart. You see, a vampire can't dagger an Original without dying. So," he turned to Elena and with a dramatic flourish, presented her with the dagger, which she took, "it falls to you."

Elena's eyes went from the dagger in her hand back to Mikael who was staring at her as if waiting for a response. Shock was clear in her eyes as she stared back at him. "Y-You want me to actually dagger you?"

Mikael nodded. "Klaus will leave nothing to chance, especially when it comes to trust."

Ash nodded. It was true after all. Klaus didn't trust easily. It went against everything he stood for. Once you broke his trust though….

_Enough Ashlynn! _He _betrayed _you! _Not the other way around! There is no reason why you _shouldn't _want revenge for all of those years he toyed with you, making you believe you were actually worth something to him. No, this isn't breaking his trust. This is about getting revenge._

_This is about ending him once and for all._

* * *

Ash was standing next to Damon as Stefan made the call to Klaus. Her face was an enigma as she concealed all of the emotions that were flooding through her. With her enhanced hearing, she could hear Klaus greet Stefan as he answered the phone. She had to close her eyes to regain her composure, hardening her face so that her moment of weakness would not be seen. Just because she hadn't heard his voice in about ninety years wasn't an excuse for her to lose composure or feel pain, especially since he didn't deserve any of it.

"Portland is fantastic. Once you get over all the whiny music and healthy looking people, it is literally a breeding ground for werewolves." was Klaus's opening greeting, a carefree smirk on his face.

Stefan wasted no time in getting straight to the point. "Your father is dead."

Klaus froze, a scowl crossing his features. "What did you say to me?"

"Oh, my mistake. Not your actual father and not dead." There was a hint of mocking to Stefan's tone. "Mikael. Daggered. What do you want me to do with the body?"

"Well, first," Klaus stated tersely, "I want you to explain to me exactly what happened."

Ash looked around the room in boredom as Stefan did so, allowing her mind to drift to when Alexa should be arriving. Tilting her head as she looked at the clock hanging on the wall, she mused that she had at least a couple of hours before her best and only friend would be barging in.

She finally snapped back into focus when she heard Klaus say, "I want to talk to Rebekah."

Ash's eyes shot to Rebekah, her eyes daring her to even attempt to cry to Klaus about his planned assassination. This was their only chance at being done with Klaus once and for all. She had finally gotten herself to accept that this was for the best and she was _not_ going to let that prissy Original ruin it all just because she had a touch of conscience.

"That's not a problem." Stefan said easily, a hint of smugness in his tone. "She's right here." He held the phone out towards Rebekah, who reluctantly took it, a look of determination on her face.

"Hello, Nik." She greeted in a bored tone.

"Rebekah, love, what's this I hear about Mikael's tragic run in with the dagger?"

"It's true," she spoke, forcing some happiness into her tone. "He's finally out of our lives for good. I miss you. I'm miserable here."

"I'll be home soon." He assured her.

"Good." There was a pause, then, "Nik, there's something else you should know." Rebekah said suddenly, causing Ash to look at her sharply, her brothers and Elena doing the same.

"What else is there?" Klaus questioned suspiciously. "If what you're saying is true, then Mikael is dead and can no longer cause us any harm."

Rebekah's eyes flickered over to Ash, who was still standing by Damon and who was staring at her with furrowed brows. For years, that sniveling baby vampire had turned Klaus soft. For years, Rebekah had to fight to get Klaus's attention whenever Ash was around.

Rebekah hated Ashlynn for that.

She didn't want to hurt her brother anymore than they already were-they were planning on killing him after all-but this final nail in the coffin would ensure that he wouldn't change his plans at the last moment. This would ensure that her brother would come to Mystic Falls ready to desecrate Mikael's body in the worst and most painful ways possible.

It was the ultimate bait.

"Before Elena managed to kill him, a certain someone got in the way and was killed."

"I'm tired of whatever game you're trying to play, Bekah." Klaus snapped annoyed. "Why should I care who was killed as long as it wasn't the doppelganger?"

"Because…Mikael killed Ashlynn."


End file.
